Baseball game



Aug. 21, 11962 R. G. RIDEOUT BASEBALL GAME Filed April 19, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet l R. G. RIDEOUT BASEBALL GAME Aug. 21, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19, 1961 Aug, 21, 1962 R. G. RIDEOUT BASEBALL GAME 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 19, 1961 SINGLE nRICH TRIPLE f www@ United States Patent Oiice 3,050,308 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 3,050,308 BASEBALL GANE Richard G. Rideout, 3 Arlington St., Cambridge, Mass. Filed Apr. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 104,129 Claims. (Cl. 273-122) This invention relates to a baseball game apparatus designed to be used by two players who try to outguess each other in manipulating the movable parts of the apparatus. As hereinafter explained in detail, a series ot targets are suspended in front of respective apertures in the playing ield. Each target represents a particular play (eg. a two-base hit). The player who is behind the targets manipulates control apparatus to lock all the targets against rocking movement except for two selected targets. The player in front of the targets then projects a ball across the field to a target of his selection. lf the selected target is locked, it is an out and the ball rolls back to its starting point, the ield being slightly inclined for this purpose. If the ball hits an unlocked target, it swings the target and falls through the aperture behind the target to return under the playing field.

For a more complete understanding of the game, reference may be had rto the following description thereof, and to the drawings, of which FIGURE 1 is a plan View of the game apparatus embodying the invention, a portion being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 lis a perspective view of the locking device for the targets;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the control station for the locking mechanism;

FIGURE 5 is an yend elevation of the apparatus, a portion being broken away to show in section; and

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of FIG- URE l.

The game is designed for two players one of whom sits in front of the game board, the other sitting behind the board and facing ythe iirst player whose team is at bat. As shown the board itself is the top 10 of a shallow box having a bottom 12. Fhe box is slightly tilted downward toward the front so that a ball on either the top or bottom will roll toward the front of the box if free to do so. For this purpose the rear of the box may be slightly elevated by a couple of studs 14 under the rear corners, as indicated in FIGURE 2.

The top 10 has a series of apertures 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 therethrough, each Vaperture being shown as rectangular. These apertures are transversely offset from one another and are respectively opposite an equal number of ball-projecting devices 30 mounted on the front margin of the game board 10 to project a ball 32 toward the corresponding aperture which is opposite to it. For convenience, a ball may be provided for each projector.

As indicated in FIGURE 2, each projector may comprise a horizontal stem 34 slidable in a bracket 36 which is mounted on the game board 10 near the front edge thereof. At the rear end of the stern 34 is a head 38 which is arranged to push the ball 32 when the projector is released. A compression spring 40 bears against the head 38 and the bracket 36. At the forward end of the stem 34 is a finger knob 42 by which the projector can be retracted or cocked. A trigger 44 is mounted on the board 10 in position to catch on a shoulder of the knob to hold the projector in cocked position until released. When the trigger 44 is depressed, the spring 40 mpels the head 38 to project the ball 32 toward the corresponding aperture in the board 10. As indicated in FIGURE l, there are six projectors 30, all made alike to project its ball 32 toward an aperture. To guide the balls, a groove 46 may be formed in the board 10 running straight from each projector 30 to its corresponding aperture. If a projected ball is stopped, it rolls back to its projector which in the meantime has been cocked again by the player. Additional guiding means may be provided to get the returning ball back to its respective projector, such means being triangular horizontal plates 48 between successive grooves 46, and pairs of vertical partition members S0 between successive projectors. If a ball 32 falls through one of the apertures n the board 10, it rolls back toward the front of the game on the bottom 12 and is guided by diagonal barriers 52, S3y to an exit hole 54 in the front wall of the box. Here it is picked up by the player and replaced in its initial position against the head 38 which projected fit.

Obstructions 56, 5S, v60, 62, 64, 66 are placed in front of the respective apertures to stop a ball if locked or to yield to a projected ball if not locked. The locking and unlocking of the obstructions are controlled to a limited extent by the player sitting at the rear ofthe board as hereinafter explained.

Various means for supporting and locking the obstruct-ions can be employed. The obstructions shown on the drawings are targets consisting of vertically suspended plates at the front edges of the respective apertures. Each target swings on a bracket 70 which is a rod bent to an L-shape and secured to the board 10, the top of each target being swingably mounted on the horizontal portion of the respective bracket 7' 0. The lower portion of each target is within the box and below the level of the board 10. To lock the targets against a rearward swing when struck by a projected ball, a locking plate 'T2 is slidably mounted on a transverse rod 74 which is secured at its ends to the side wal-1s of the box. The locking plate carries six upst-anding ears 76, 78, 80, S2, 84, 86 which are located respectively behind the lower margins of the targets 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66 so as to lock the targets against rearward swings. These lower margins, however, are notched as indicated in FIGURE 6 so that when a notch is in line with one of the ears on the locking board 72 that target is free to swing when hit by a projected ball 32, thus permitting the ball to fall into the aperture behind that target. The locking plate 72 can be shifted laterally to bring different notches into line with respective ears, the shifting being done by manipulation of a `lever 83 which is fulcrumed at 90 in the front wall of the box, the other end of the lever projecting through a slot 92 in the rear wall of the box and being bent up, las indicated in FIGURE 4, to provide a convenient handle 94.-. The lever 88 passes between a pair of pins 96 on ythe locking plate 72 so that when the handle 94 is moved to the right or left, the locking plate 72 is laterally shifted. The lower edge of the slot 9-2 is notched as at 98 to ensure accurate placement of the ears on the locking plate `with respect to the notches in the targets.

The notches in the targets are prearranged to permit the player at the rear of the board to unlock a certain single target or any pair of targets by manipulating the handle 94 to shift the locking plate 72. The several targets are labeled to indicate plays in a baseball game, the target 56 representing a base hit, the target 58 representing a double, the target 60 representing a home run, and so on. The 4notches in the lower margins of the targets are located so that the home run traget 60 can be unlocked by itself, leaving all the other targets looked. The other positions of the locking plate permit the unlocking of any two of the other targets, as indicated at 100 in FIGURE 4.

In order to shield the moves of each player from being seen by the other player, suitable shields 102, 104 are mounted near the front and rear, respectively, of the board yand the rear portion of the locking plate 72 is cut away 3 so that no part of the board will be visible through the apertures to the player in front of the board. A transverse shield 106 is `also mounted within the box to conceal any portion of the lever 83 which might otherwise show through Ithe apertures 20 or 22'.

When playing the game, the player representing the team at bat sits `at the front end of the board, the player representing the team in the eld sitting at the rear. The latter selects a position of the locking plate 72 and moves the plate to the selected position to unlock either the home run target I60 or any two of the other targets. The player in front of the board then projects a ball 32 at a target Which he thinks may have been unlocked. If he guesses correctly, the ball swings the target and falls into the aperture behind it, the play represented by that target is noted and the ball is recovered from the exit opening 54 and replaced against its projector head 38. If the ball hits ya target that is locked, it counts as an out 1f a ball falls into the aperture 26, the batter is credited with 3 balls and 2 strikes. If the ball ldrops through the same aperture on the next play, the batter gets a base on balls but is out if the next play is to that target but the target is locked. The progress of the game may be recorded by any convenient means (not shown). For example, `a baseball `diamond can be painted on the surface of the board 10 for use with counters (not shown) vwhich can be put on the bases to indicate base-runners. The shields 102, 104 can be appropriately ornamented to resemble grandstands.

While the game apparatus has been hereinbefore described in terms of baseball, -it can be used for other games by changing lthe legends on the targets and adopting appropriate rules, the essence of the game consisting of the player in front of the board guessing which targets the other player has released, and lacting accordingly.

I claim:

1. A game apparatus for two players, comprising a board having a plurality of apertures therethrough, a

target swingably suspended at the front of each said aperture, locking means vadjustable to prevent rocking movement of said targets, control means at the rear end of the board operable to unlock targets selected by one player, a ball, and means at the front of the board for projecting the ball toward a target selected by the other player.

2. Apparatus as described in claim l, and means shielding the parts manipulated by each player from being seen by the other player.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 1, and means below said board for returning to the front of the board balls which have fallen through one of said apertur 4. A game `apparatus for two players, comprising a board having -a series of apertures therethrough transversely offset from one another, a ball, means at the front of the board for projecting said ball toward any selected one of .said apertures, an obstruction in front of each said aperture normally Ilocked to prevent access of `a projected ball to the aperture behind it, but adapted when not locked to let a hall pass into the aperture behind it, and means manually operable to 'lock any one of a number of predetermined groups of said obstructions.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 4, said appara-tus also including shielding means over said balLprojecting means, and shielding means over said locking means, whereby to conceal said ball-projecting means and said locking means from the players at the ends of the table respectively opposite thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 853,278 Vining May 14, 1907 1,549,084 Husted Aug. 11, 1925 1,590,127 Spi-tzenberger June 22, 1926 2,565,238 Koei Aug. 21, 1951 2,954,979 Rosenberger Oct. 4, 1960 

